


Astral Knights

by GalacticDefender4679



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Original Work
Genre: Multi, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25403041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticDefender4679/pseuds/GalacticDefender4679





	1. Introduction

In the ancient times of the land of Greece, man lived happily in the shadow of the Olympian gods, but trouble stirred in the Underworld and one day, the great adamantine gates of Tartarus broke and the great monsters of legend charged through them to the mortal realm, bent on laying siege to the land for vengeance. The gods led their armies of Olympus to the mortal realm to do battle but found that even against beasts and villains conquered by heroes past, they were not enough.

In desperation, the god-king Zeus had the divine blacksmith Hephaestus burn the forges of Mount Etna hotter than ever before to craft 48 sets of armor and weapons from adamantine, into which Zeus and his brothers Poseidon; god of the sea, and Hades; god of the dead, infused their greatest magic, containing the great kits into a simple set of rings and blessing them with the power of the 48 awe-inspiring constellations named by the astronomer Ptolemy.

The rings were scattered to the far corners of the world to seek out worthy warriors to combat the hordes of Tartarus and seal them away back in the Underworld. After their success, these great warriors were named the Astral Knights and were permitted to keep their rings till their dying breath, at which point, the rings would return to the peak of Mount Olympus.

But the seal on the repaired gates was soon found to be imperfect as every few centuries, the hordes are released upon the world again. And when this happens, the gods must send the rings out again and assemble a new order of Astral Knights to save the world.

This is where our story begins…


	2. The First Hero

Another forearm rub across the brow; hard work is nothing without the sweat, that’s what Uncle Joseph always said. “ _…And in global news, today marks Day 3 of the massive storm front currently forming over northern Greece. Authorities in neighboring nations are advising states of emergency in the face of what may very well be the first hurricane to form inland._ ”

“Man, day 3, seriously?” Leave it to Marty to laugh in the face of possibly imminent death. “Hey, maybe it’s Zeus throwin’ a temper tantrum or somethin’, huh?” Naturally, he got a lot of laughs out of that.

“Cmon Marty, you can’t actually believe in that junk.” Percy stretched; hauling in supplies from the truck out-back for the last few hours was getting really boring, so he could use some good gossip. “I mean face it; Zeus doesn’t exist. If he did, don’t you think he’d be more focused on giving my mom’s garden some rain?”

“Yeah, you know I’m jokin, right Perc? And honestly, either way, I’m pretty sure the big guy’s got more important things to worry about than raining on some random lady’s garden.” Naturally, the smirk that crossed his face made Percy roll his eyes; Marty only smirked like that when he was about to do something that would get him threatened and/or laughed at.

“Oh god, what is it this time?” Once he followed this gaze, he groaned at who he saw in the door. “Seriously Marty? How many times do I have to tell you that me and Sarah are never gonna happen? You heard what happened to Ryan at school, right? She’s nothing but a two-faced, stuck-up little…” He could read the face Marty was making perfectly. “She’s standing right behind me, isn’t she?”

“Yep. Happy trails.”

“You traitor.”

“Well-well-well, if it isn’t old Percy Sparrow.” Condescending as ever, Ms. Harris. “Don’t let me stop you. Please, continue.”

Percy chuckled as he turned to her. “Sarah, face it; you know I’m right. The only reason you haven’t crushed me like you did Ryan yet is that you think the exact same thing as all the other girls at school; I’m hotter than Stan’s chili.” Unfortunately, it was that exact statement that preceded a bubbly splash. A quick glance back into the kitchen saw that the pot of said chili was boiling over. “Ah crap, not again! Sorry guys, I got this!”

Naturally, Sarah found this whole situation very amusing. “How about my morning usual, Marty?” That was what Marty loved about Sarah; she ordered the same thing at the same time of day so often, he knew exactly how to make her morning coffee every Sunday she came in, as emphasized by the cup he simply handed to her. “Ya know Percy, I’ve gotta say it’s pretty hilarious that even with all these jobs you work, you forget something that simple.”

“Believe me, you’re not the first to say that.” It took some serious work to get that chili safe and off the heat, but he had managed. “But hey; someone’s gotta win some bread in my house. For Jade’s sake.”

Naturally, this made Sarah’s face fall, along with those of many at the coffee bar and in the kitchen. Nearly the whole town knew the tragic story of the Sparrow family’s youngest. “I know it’s a longshot, but has she gotten any better?”

Percy shook his head at Marty’s question, remembering his sister. “Still bedridden. Her fever’s getting worse, but at least her cough’s stopped. For now.”

Sarah shrugged, trying to lighten the mood. “That’s progress, right?” Percy just leaned on the counter, giving Sarah a chance to place her hand on his in comfort. “You know, my dad’s always on call.”

Percy just gave a shallow nod. “Yeah. Thanks.” He just walked away, hanging up his apron and grabbing his bag from the side of the bar. “Hey Marty, I think I’m gonna clock out early today. That cool?”

Marty nodded. “Yeah man, go ahead. We can handle it from here.”

“Thanks, chief.” That was the last thing he had to say at the café that day as he moved for the door.

“ _Wait. We are now receiving news from the Pentagon; something has just broken the sound barrier and is flying toward America._ ” This drew the attention of everyone in the café, severely scaring several people. “ _Satellite feeds show that it has, in fact, come from somewhere in Greece, though our military contacts have ruled out the possibility of a missile launch, as aside from the ridiculous levels of turbulence, it is far too small and moving too fast for it to be any sort of conventional warhead. We’ll keep you posted as updates develop, and- Wait, what? Are-are you sure? Uh, this just in; the unknown object has just… disappeared._ ” Okay, that just sparked a lot of confusion. “ _I-It appears it made it just over Pennsylvania and vanished from radar. If anyone sees anything suspicious in the area of Fairmount, Philadelphia, please report it immediately._ ”

Percy was naturally concerned, but he decided he should simply leave and worry about it later so he just left and began the walk home. This Sunday walk was always pretty uneventful, although one guy on the street did bump him. Intentionally, it seemed to him. “Hey, watch it.” He noticed something on the pavement; a silver ring. “Hey jackass, you dropped something.” But when he looked back to the guy who bumped him, he saw that he had disappeared. There were no alleys or crosswalks nearby, so the question that lingered in his mind was where did he go?

Ultimately, he decided to forget it for the moment and looked at the ring. It looked like a simple enough Greek-style signet ring, but the symbol on it confused him as he didn’t recognize it; it looked like some sort of jar.

“Eh. Might as well see who you belong to, buddy.” And obviously, he set about finding this out by simply snapping a picture of the ring with his phone and posting it on Facebook with the question “ _Whose ring is this?_ ” That done, he decided he may as well try this ring on and slipped it onto his right middle finger. To his surprise, it was a perfect fit. “Huh. Cool.” He was curious about a few things though; who was that guy earlier? And did he drop the ring on purpose? Eh, questions for later. Right now, he just had to get home.

“ _Percy…_ ” This whispering voice sent chills up his spine. Every time he heard it and checked, he was rewarded with the same result; nothing.

About the fifth or sixth time, he got seriously annoyed when he looked. “Okay pal I don’t know who or where you are, but you’re really starting to tick me off, so just get lost and leave me alone okay?” When he was greeted with nothing, he smirked a bit. “Showed him.” With that, he turned back toward the street… and was immediately greeted by a random statue. “Aah!”

Once he fell on the ground, a tall woman with shades slipped out from the alley. “Oh, are you okay?”

“Ugh, yeah.” Percy pulled himself on by clinging to the wall next to him and groaned. “Where the hell did this freakin’ thing come from anyway?”

“Me.” Naturally, this was confusing, but the woman explained. “I made it.”

“Oh, you’re a sculptor?” She nodded. Percy looked closer and smiled. “Well, credit where it’s due; you’re really good at it. What’s your secret?”

“No real secret. I simply look at and create stone from life.”

Oddly cryptic, but whatever. “Yeah-yeah, trade-secret, I got it. Look, I’m runnin’ late to meet up with my family so I’m just gonna head home, okay?”

“Oh-no-no-no-no, please. Stay for a bit. I could easily immortalize _your_ image in stone.” She seemed to grow angry when she saw his ring. “I’m sure I could get the detailing on your ring… perfect.”

A random snake-hissing made Percy’s eyes pop open. “Do- Do you have a pet snake? Cause I don’t like snakes.”

“Unfortunate. Because they don’t like you either.” Percy was even more wigged out when he saw a snake slither out from her head-wrap and out onto her cheek.

“Uh… I’m sorry, I just realized I never got your name.” Naturally, he said this as slowly backing away down the street.

This woman’s next smirk scared Percy even more as her head wrap slid off, revealing that her head was literally covered in snakes. “Medusa. But I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me, Knight of Perseus.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Your ring.” Naturally, Percy was unbelievably freaked out when he felt a snake-tail coil up his body to the ring he was wearing… and even more freaked out to see it was basically what Medusa had in place of legs. “It bears the symbol of the half-god who killed me centuries ago. I’ve killed far more competent Knights than you ever since, but I suppose you’re next either way.”

“ _Percy, listen to me._ ” Now is really not a good time, annoying voice. “ _You must not look into Medusa’s eyes. If you do, you will be turned to stone just like that poor mortal you hit earlier._ ” Percy quickly got the message and slammed his eyes shut.

“Now-now, my young friend.” Medusa was actually a lot more flirtatious than Percy ever read her as being. “It’s quite unkind looking someone in the eyes when you speak with them. Go ahead. Look.”

“Rot in hell, freak.”

Clearly, this angered Medusa as her snakes slithered on his face. “Been there. Done that.”

“ _Percy, call the name of your ring._ ”

“What’re you talking about?”

“ _Just clench your fist and call Perseus._ ”

He really didn’t have much else in the way of choice, so Percy decided he might as well do as this voice told him. “Perseus!” As soon as he yelled this, a strange surge of power flowed over Percy from the ring, forming across his body as what felt like armor. He tentatively opened his eyes and found that Medusa had fallen to the ground and was rubbing her eyes in pain; clearly momentarily blinded by some sort of light his armor had given off when it formed.

Speaking of armor, he was impressed to see what it looked like; tight against his body, yet still maneuverable and durable-seeming. He was curious as to what the glowing gold connect-the-dots picture on his chest was about, but even more curious about the wings on the back of his boots. Then he decided to use them for something; flying home, away from Medusa as fast as possible. But for some reason, as soon as his feet left the ground, he was pulled in the exact opposite direction of his house.

He wasn’t sure how yet, but somehow he knew that his life was about to get far more complicated. At least… that’s what he thought before he blacked out…


	3. The Mountain

Percy had certainly gotten worse headaches from his work, but this was definitely one he would remember. “ _This is our new Knight of Perseus?_ ”

“ _Must you always be so underwhelmed, Brother?_ ”

“ _I only accept those I have personally trained and vetted, Hephaestus. You know this as well as everyone in this Palace._ ”

“ _Silence, both of you. He awakens._ ” This older-sounding man was right; Percy had finally woken up from his blacking-out after… fighting Medusa? Okay yeah, none of this made any sense. It was probably just Ryan and Steve playing some sort of stupid prank on him or something.

At least, that’s what he thought before he finally opened his eyes… and saw he was on a marble slab in the middle of a massive auspicious-looking room surrounded by thrones… with some very terrifying-looking people. “Gah! Who are you? Where am I? What’s going on? Wh- Ow! Seriously, what happened to my head?”

“You are in the Alabaster Palace atop Mount Olympus.” The largest of the men bellowed, his voice thundering like a storm. “I am Zeus, King of the Gods.”

“Wait-wait-wait, this is… this is Mount Olympus?” It was reasonable for Percy to not believe it, and he explained why. “But- But people have been up here for years. No one’s ever seen anything like this up here.”

“Because we have long since hidden it from prying mortal eyes in a pocket dimension. Even the Gods must change with the times, Knight of Perseus.” He was still confused as to what that meant, and yet the one with a massive trident (clearly Poseidon) remained strangely nonchalant.

“Why do you guys keep calling me that? What does it even mean? And what is the deal with this ring?”

“That, Knight Percy, is the Celestial Ring that holds the Astral Armor of Perseus; an ancient and sacred relic that we the Gods created centuries ago.” That was just straight confusing, Zeus.

“Celestial Ring? Astral Armor? I never read about that.” And that was saying a lot as Jade had always liked it when Percy read her stories from Greek Mythology- wait, strike that; Greek _History_ now, he supposed.

“Not all our stories are written down, Percy. Especially not this one.” Poseidon looked out the large window of the massive palace to the smaller identical-ish buildings across the mountain’s peak. “Long ago, the gates of Tartarus in the Underworld broke open and all those imprisoned there swarmed Greece for vengeance on those who imprisoned them. In most cases, the Gods ourselves.”

“Well, you guys have an army, don’t you? Why not use it?”

“Oh, we tried. Believe me; Athena and I led the charge ourselves as the Gods of War.” Yeah, Percy figured this guy was Ares. “But they weren’t enough, even against sinners and beasts conquered by lesser heroes past. Thus my brother Hephaestus was commissioned to make your Armor and forty-seven others.”

“And once completed, myself and my brothers; Poseidon and Hades, enchanted the Armors with the powers of the Constellations commissioned by Ptolemy which you mortals study so fervently,” Zeus explained.

Then Percy realized something. “Wait a second, is that why that voice told me to ‘call my ring’s name’ or whatever?”

Zeus smiled as he stroked his beard. “Yes, Hermes believed you could use a bit of a nudge in the right direction.”

“Hermes?” That was when something crashed near the door and someone came stumbling in.

“Sorry! Sorry, my- my wings just cut out. Still getting the hang of these new boots.”

Percy recognized him instantly. “Wait, aren’t you the guy who-?”

“Gave you the ring? Yes, that **was** _my_ mission this generation, but in my defense, I threw the arm-wrestling contest Iris and I established to choose a herald.”

“I know you’re the patron of those who do it Hermes, but you really have to stop lying.” Clearly, this woman who just walked in was Iris. And for some reason, it looked like her eye-color changed every time she blinked.

“What? I’m serious; have you _seen_ the condition of the mortal realm these days?”

“Just be thankful your duty is not to fix it, Hermes.” It was clear from her behavior and garb that this goddess was Demeter. And she looked beat. “I can hardly keep farmers’ crops growing anymore these days.”

“I sympathize with your dilemma Demeter, but I’m afraid that isn’t exactly our number-one priority right now.” Zeus was quick to get back on track. “Reimprisoning those who have escaped from Tartarus is. Or rather, that is _your_ number-one priority, Knight Percy.”

“Wait-wait-wait, you expect me to fight an army of monsters, villains and God knows what else _alone_?”

This made Zeus laugh, for some reason. “No! Gaea no! You don’t honestly think I had Hephaestus make _forty-eight_ Armors just so the Knight of Perseus could go to war with the prisoners of Tartarus alone, do you? No-no-no, let me rephrase; capturing the prisoners is your number- _two_ priority. Your number- _one_ priority is to find the other Celestial Rings and gather the rest of the Astral Knights. And even then, before you do anything on the field of battle, you and the other Knights must be properly trained.”

Percy glanced at Ares with a fearful look in his eye. “Why does that terrify me?”

“Only logical.” Athena nodded, glaring at Ares as well. “My brother and his sons are known throughout history as being greatly ruthless teachers of warfare.”

“Come now Athena, you know our family tree takes pride in its fruit. Mine is simply one of the more, eh… prideful branches.” Eye-roll, anyone?

“Alright, so what’s first on my agenda?” That was as good of an ice-breaker as any, but Percy knew he would regret it.

“Ah, straight to the chase. I like that.” A jagged Spartan blade in one hand and a massively dented Spartan shield in the other was not an encouraging look to get, especially not from the God of War. “First order of business: I shall gauge your potential. If I deem you worth my time, then I shall train you. If not, your Ring will seek another.”

Percy scoffed. “Well, if that’s how you do things then you can just take it.” That was simply followed by him removing his ring and tossing it to the ground in front of Ares… only to quickly fly back onto his finger. “Whoa. What’s the deal?”

“This is out of your hands Percy.” It was clear this guy was Hades, even without the bident to prove it. “Once a Celestial Ring locates a worthy Bearer, the Armor’s inner power binds the Ring to their soul for the rest of the Bearer’s mortal life. I’m sorry, but that Ring is yours from now until the time when your soul crosses over to the Underworld.”

Percy rolled his eyes and groaned: of course that was what Ares meant; if he didn’t meet the god’s standards, he was a dead man. “Alright fine. Let’s get this over with. Perseus!” The light filled the room again, though this time it was a bit dimmer than before, as though Percy was already understanding the power he now held as the armor assembled itself around him, plate by plate… but then something occurred to him. “So uh, do I have weapons or…?”

“Back and left hip.” Those directions from Athena were enough for Percy to find a bronze shield that shone like a mirror and a gleaming harpe-sword with what looked like a snake-design on the hilt.

“Now then… let us begin.” That one growl from Ares was all the warning Percy got before the god charged straight at him, sword flying straight toward the young knight’s throat.

A backward dive quickly sent Percy out of the way just under the blade… but it also started him into the air as his boots’ wings started flapping for all they were worth, sending him careening around the palace. “Whoa! Uh okay, how uh… How do I control these things?!”

“The wings are linked to your mind! Focus on where you want to fly and the wings will listen!” That little pep-talk from Hermes was all Percy needed to quickly get the hang of his new flight ability… which came in seriously handy as he flew in swooped in and slashed part of the plume clean off Ares’ helmet before sliding to a stop on the floor.

“Whoo! Alright, how’s that?”

Ares smiled as he picked up a scrap of his plume off the ground. “Not bad. Though I’ve certainly seen better from your predecessors. All of them actually managed to at least get close to harming me. But you? I have my doubts!” With that, the god lunged with his sword at the ready.

Naturally, Percy’s first instinct was to dive out of the way and allow Ares to stab the column behind him, but once he did, Ares looked confused.

“Incredible. He’s already figured it out?” That statement from Demeter confused the young man.

“Figured what out?” A quick glance to his blade and he saw that for some reason he was invisible. “Whoa. What?”

A grim though amused chuckle drew his attention up to Hades as he leaned on Zeus’ throne. “I’m always intrigued by mortals’ reactions when they unlock the powers the Armor of Perseus shares with my helm.” That brought it back; to fight Medusa, Perseus was given Hades’ helmet from the first war with the Titans, which turned its wearer invisible. The Armor must’ve given its wearer a similar power… which Percy felt the need to abuse the absolute shit out of, just to see if he could get Ares even angrier than he already was.

“Coward! Get out here and face me like a true warrior! No true Astral Knight would hide behind their Armor’s powers!” It was then that Ares felt what felt like a blade on his chin as Percy returned to the visible plane… with his sword aimed right at the god’s throat.

“Maybe not, but you have to admit; it’s a solid plan. Either way, I think this means I win.” With that, Percy sheathed his sword and backed away before the armor suddenly disappeared. “Uh, what was that?”

“The Armors react to their Knights’ emotional state; self-summoning when they feel endangered, vanishing when they are at ease.” Zeus stood and walked to the young Knight. “You _are_ at ease, are you not?”

Percy clenched his fist and smirked at the Ring. “Y’know strangely enough, I am.”

“It senses that. Between that and unlocking your Armor’s special abilities, I’d say you are beginning to master it.”

Ares scoffed. “Oh lighten up Brother.” Athena rolled her eyes, walking forward. “I’d say our new Perseus has proven himself. Perhaps even… enough to go to work?” Ares just growled and walked away.

“That’s as close to a yes as I’m ever gonna get from him, isn’t it?”

“Unfortunately so.” Hephaestus groaned. “My brother can be very stubborn.”

“Well, either way, I believe we can call that the first affirmative vote for our Knight of Perseus being declared ready for battle.” Zeus smiled broadly, raising his hand. “All others in favor?”

“AYE!” The whole palace roared in agreement… apart from Hades.

“I take it you have reservations, brother?” Poseidon smirked.

“In fact I do. You are well-aware, Poseidon, that I am distrustful of… _living_ mortals.”

“I’m not exactly getting positive vibes from you either, King of the Dead,” Percy smirked, making the god look understandably ticked.

“I believe I am in need of a more… _practical_ demonstration of our Knight’s might.”

“Are you serious? I just went one-on-one with the God of War and _won_ ; how much more ‘practical’ do I need to be?”

Hades raised an eyebrow as he stroked his thin beard. “You claim to know our stories from ancient times. Then prove it: do as your Armor’s namesake did; kill Medusa, find the Knight of Pegasus and rescue the Knight of Andromeda.”

“Fine. Gimme the Rings.”

"I'm afraid that's impossible." Poseidon shrugged. "You see, the Andromeda Ring is unfortunately sealed within the flesh of the beast Cetus. Fell it, and the Rings of Cetus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus are yours."

Percy shrugged; he figured it would go something like that. "Alright, what about Pegasus?"

Zeus stroked his beard in worry; it was almost like he knew this would happen. “Unfortunately, before Medusa was cast back down last time, she slew the Knight of Pegasus, took his Ring and-”

It took Percy less than a second to figure that out. “Oh dear God, she swallowed it, didn’t she? The Ring’s in her neck, isn’t it?”

Zeus smiled nervously. “Very observant.”

Percy shrugged, groaning, and turned to Hades. “Okay, so the only way I can prove myself to _you_ is if I send Medusa’s soul back to the Underworld, take the Pegasus Ring from her neck, find some nut-bar to wear it, and then find and kill a giant whale with other Rings in its face?"

“Indeed. Now begone and do it.”

“Alright alright, I’m going. Yeesh!” With that, he simply reactivated his Armor and flew away, leaving the Gods alone.

“Must we really have left out the part about the Solstice, Zeus? The boy has a right to know.”

“Now-now Hera, we _will_ tell him. Along with the others when they arrive. I simply hope they live until then.”

“Well if we’re taking bets on whether or not that happens, I’d say this one’s odds are slim-to-none.” Excellent vote of confidence, Poseidon.


	4. Family

It was surprising how quick of a flight it was from Olympus to home in Philadelphia, but either way, Percy was just glad he managed to get into an alley and drop his Armor before anyone could see him.

“Whew-okay, so just gotta find and kill Medusa and find someone to wear a magic ring that came out of her neck.” Yeah, that sounded… actually exactly as crazy out-loud, as it did in his head. “Ugh! Cmon Percy, who are you kidding? You’d have better luck finding someone who could cure Jade.” That reminded him; Jade’s monthly examination was today… at 5 o’clock. A quick check at his watch and he was instantly terrified; 4:50. And the hospital was a mile and a half away. “Oh, sugar-honey-ice-tea!” Jade hated these examinations, but she was always more confident with Percy by her side.

Not even stopping to think, Percy dove back down the alley and Armored up, quickly putting his boots’ wings to good use by flying out to the hospital at incredibly high speeds. He arrived with five minutes to spare and dove behind a dumpster out front to covertly drop his Armor, slipping in the door without much trouble… until someone noticed him. “Right on time Percy.”

Percy was terrified, but still put on his best smile to hide his fear as he looked at the tall doctor behind him. “Dr. Harris.” And sure enough, this was Sarah’s father, Dr. Samuel Harris. “Are they in the usual room?”

“Sure are. Good luck.” Percy smiled and nodded as he dashed down the hall to Room 103, where he found his mother waiting for him.

“What took you so long?” Percy knew she’d never believe the truth, so he quickly devised something else.

“Sorry Mom, I was stuck at work longer than usual.” He wasn’t sure she would believe that either, but it was better than nothing.

“Well, what’re you waiting for? Jade’s just gotten situated; she needs you.” Percy nodded and quickly slipped into the room to find his little sister resting on her hospital bed with a weak smile on her face.

“Hey, Jade. Sorry I’m late.” Percy smiled, slipping her hand into his. “At least I’m here though, right?”

Jade just smiled. “Yeah. Thanks, Percy.”

They just sat there smiling at each other for a few minutes until Jade’s usual Dr. Jacobs came in. “Alright Jade, you ready for your examination?” he asked.

Jade seemed worried, but then she looked at Percy who had a confident look on his face. “I’m right here, sis.”

She smiled and nodded up at the doctor. “I’m ready.” Dr. Jacobs smiled as he opened up his instrument kit, looking at her. Percy smiled as he placed one last kiss on Jade’s forehead.

“I’ll be right back, okay sis?” He slowly stood and slipped out to find his mother in the hall. “I’ll be just a second; I’ve gotta use the bathroom.”

His mother seemed surprised about something… something on his hand. “Interesting ring.” Percy realized she was talking about his Celestial Ring. “I don’t remember you having it before.”

“Oh, uh… I had a few bucks on me; I picked it up on the way here from work today.” Percy excused. “Hope you don’t mind.”

“I guess not. As long as we still have some money.” his mother nodded.

“I get paid at the end of the week; we’ll be fine.” Unfortunately, Percy would be eating his words soon.

He had scarcely finished up in the restroom when he heard a strange screaming in the main hall… accompanied by the loud noise of cracking stone. He knew what that might mean and was terrified… before he looked down at his ring. “Well, if there was ever a time to use this, this is it. Star Power: Perseus!”

The plates locked around his body and the constellation on his chestplate glowed bright silver as the helmet clanked down onto his head. Looking in a mirror, he was admittedly surprised by what the mask of his helmet looked like; the face of a young unshaven man. “Hm. Not bad. I think I can work with this.” He quickly drew his sword and shield, dashing out of the bathroom to find Medusa in the foyer covered in serpentine scales and surrounded by petrified hospital workers.

She smirked when she looked at the Knight, who quickly raised his shield to block his eyes. “Ahh, Perseus Knight. I had hoped I had not been mistaken in seeing you flying here.” Percy felt like bashing himself with his shield for that; he’d led Medusa straight to his family. “And now it is time to fully take my vengeance.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Percy smirked. With little else in the way of fanfare, he charged and bashed the Gorgon into the desk with his shield before slashing at her with his sword.

She slithered out of the way and her serpent-hair reared back to strike at him. Thinking quickly, he raised his shield and allowed the snakes to bash their faces on them, unfortunately leading Medusa to bash her face as well. “Gah!” she hissed and reared back to hold her face in pain.

Percy laughed as he stood back. “Cmon, ya lizard. Is that all ya got?”

“Do not test me, child!” Medusa yelled and swung her tail at the hero, knocking him down the hall to right outside Room 103, his armor cracking and chipping in several places. Percy was terrified that the Gorgon would attack his sister, and his fears were well-founded as she slithered up to him. “I’ve slain scores before you and I shall slay scores after you.” It was then that her snakes started hissing as their tongues flicked out… in the direction of the room. Medusa turned her attention to the door and smiled as she looked in to see everyone hiding their eyes in terror. “Well… I suppose I should thank you, Perseus. It’s been many years since I’ve added a child to my statuary.”

Percy realized what that meant instantaneously; she had locked her gaze onto Jade. Percy just growled as his boots’ wings unfurled and shot him into her midsection and sent them both flying out of the hospital into the parking lot. Once they hit the ground, Percy slashed his sword in the ground and knocked dirt from the ground up into Medusa’s face, making her shriek in pain. “My eyes!” Her snakes writhed in rage around her head to try and direct her, but they weren’t doing a very good job.

Percy decided to take advantage of this, and slipped a few feet away, smiling at the snakes. “Now you see me…” With that and nothing else, he disappeared.

Medusa growled as she rubbed the dust from her eyes and hissed as she looked around. “Coward! I have faced legions before you, and they all did me the courtesy of looking me in the eye as I slew them.”

Percy couldn’t help but taunt her as he flew around above her. “I think you have that backward.” He could see her glancing around in rage as he laughed. “How many times have you been killed since Perseus first cut your head off?”

Medusa laughed. “You are right to compare yourself to him, Knight! He too was a coward who did not slay me until I slept!”

Suddenly Percy’s voice came from behind her. “At least I’m not _that_ cowardly.” Medusa turned just in time for Percy to pull a length of cloth over her eyes and bash her into a kneeling position, holding the ends of the cloth in one hand and his sword in the other.

Medusa scowled as her hair hissed. “You say you are not cowardly, yet you place me in such a manner as to execute me.”

“Being a coward and having honor are two different things, Medusa,” Percy argued. “I know the story of what actually happened to you, so before I kill you, I’ll offer you one last request.”

Medusa’s snakes lowered their guard as she relaxed. “I ask only that what happened to me be judged by the laws of your time, and met accordingly then.”

Percy was unsure, so he looked at his ring. “Is that a thing you can do?”

He honestly wasn’t expecting a response, but he got one from Hades herself. “ _Oh, I suppose. Athena will no doubt protest, but I believe Medusa has suffered enough for my brother’s indulgence._ ”

Percy smiled as he heard that and smiled down at Medusa. “You’ll be in for a much fairer afterlife.” He could swear he saw a small tear drop from her eye under the blindfold. Then with one strong stroke, his blade glided through the Gorgon’s neck like a hot knife through butter, letting her head fall into his hand and her body to the ground, both bleeding from their respective stumps.

Percy was admittedly a bit grossed out until a familiar glow appeared next to him; Hermes, holding a sack made of what looked like gold. “Athena asked that I take Medusa’s head to the Forge when you had slain her. She’ll have a present for you once Hephaestus repairs your armor.”

Percy was confused but simply placed the head in the bag which Hermes tied shut. He was just about to run and hide somewhere when he saw something in Medusa’s neck; a small silver ring. Quickly, he reached in and pulled it out, seeing from the symbol of a boxy horse-shape with a curved line in the torso that it was indeed the Celestial Ring of Pegasus. He smiled as he grasped the ring in his hand. “I’ll meet you at Mount Etna as soon as possible.”

Hermes winked and disappeared in a cloud of gold smoke. Percy quickly took the chance to disappear as well and slip back into the hospital bathroom he was in when this all started, happy to see that those Medusa had petrified returned to normal. He swiftly dropped his armor and dashed toward Jade’s room, bashing through the door. “Hey! What just happened?”

“Not sure; some sort of monster,” said Dr. Jacobs. “Some guy in armor saved us.”

“It was Medusa,” Jade muttered. “And… and Perseus.”

Her mother shook her head. “Jade honey, that’s just a story. They’re not real.”

Percy smirked a bit at that, knowing she couldn’t be more wrong especially after everything that had happened to him today. Suddenly the door opened to reveal a familiar face: Apollo… but he came with another man, both dressed in doctors’ uniforms. “Afternoon gentlemen.”

Dr. Jacobs seemed surprised… and confused. “Who are you supposed to be?”

“I’m Dr. Delphis, this is Dr. Alexander; we just got hired here.” Apollo lied, and Percy was just even more confused. “We’ve been asked to prepare Ms. Sparrow here for a specialist who’s coming in to look at her in an hour.”

“No one told me.” Jacobs protested.

“Perhaps you should check your paperwork.” Dr. Alexander just gave a low wave of her hand which caused Dr. Jacobs’ eyes to flash a faint gold. “It should all be there.”

Dr. Jacobs looked at his papers and was surprised. “Well, how about that? You’re right.” He smiled and left his notes as he left the room. “Take good care of her.”

“Don’t worry; she’ll be better than ever.” Once the doctor left, Percy’s mother picked up the notes herself and was confused.

“Wait a sec, this doesn’t mention you two.” Dr. Alexander just pulled a handful of strange dust out of his pocket and blew it in the woman’s face, sending her slowly collapsing into a chair in the corner.

Then he pulled another handful and blew it over Jade, knocking her out as well before the nurse smiled at her hand. “Thank you, Hypnos.”

Percy looked at the paperwork and was confused; his mother was right, there was no mention of a Dr. Delphis or Dr. Alexander anywhere on this page, so he glanced at the god with a strange look on his face. “How did you do that?”

Apollo just smiled. “You’ve read our stories. You know how often we’ve impersonated mortals. We simply manipulate mortal perception to hide our divinity. It’s not really that hard.” Then he turned and gestured to the other man with him. “This is my son Asclepius; God of Medicine.”

Percy smiled. “Okay, so what’re you doing here?”

“Hermes told us about your sister, so I decided to come down and see what I could do.” Asclepius shrugged as he stepped forward. He raised a staff with a snake wrapped around it and held it over Jade and a faint gold cloud fell around her from the snake. Asclepius’s eyes jumped around a bit under his eyelids as if he was analyzing something, but he couldn’t figure out what was happening. Finally, the gold cloud retreated to his hands and he opened his eyes as he scratched his goatee. “This is most unusual.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Apollo.

“From what Hermes said, this sounded like a fairly simple case of what you mortals call the flu, but there’s something else,” he explained. “Something… ancient.”

“Ancient? As in as old as you guys?” asked Percy.

“Perhaps even older.” Asclepius nodded. “I’ll need a second opinion on this, but we’re running out of time here; I think the mortals are getting suspicious. I’ll need to take her to my Temple on Olympus to get an accurate diagnosis.”

Percy was terrified. “What? You can’t take my sister to Olympus; my mom would kill me, and then you guys.”

Apollo smirked. “That would be extremely ambitious of her.”

Asclepius just shrugged. “Been there, done that. Anyway, we don’t have much else in the way of choice. We’ll alter everyone’s memories so they think we’ve taken her to a special medical facility in Greece. Your mother will remember protesting, but in the end, she will have agreed because she knows it’s best for her child.”

Percy didn’t like it, but he knew he didn’t really have much in the way of choice. “Alright. But she can’t know she’s at Olympus.”

Asclepius let his shoulders fall. “I’m afraid that even _that_ is beyond our abilities. Once she wakes, she will be immune to Hypnos’ dream-dust and her mind is very strong; she will see through any of our illusions with minimal effort. She will know of us.”

Percy sighed. “Okay. Fine, whatever; let’s just do this before I change my mind.” Apollo quickly clapped his hands together and yelled something in Greek which caused a faint golden haze to spread throughout the hospital.

Then the ceiling opened up like a door and a large chariot drawn by swans roared in, which Asclepius gently loaded Jade into as Apollo took the reins. The light god looked at the knight and smiled. “If you want, we can give you a ride. Mount Etna’s right on the way to Olympus and Hephaestus is going to want to see you to run maintenance on your armor. And I believe Athena said something about a surprise for you involving Medusa’s head?”

Percy was still confused about what this surprise could be, but came to a decision. “You guys go on ahead. If I’m with Jade on the ride there, I might start thinking we shouldn’t do this.”

Asclepius nodded. “Reasonable, but think about what her face will look like if you’re by her side to explain when she wakes up on Apollo’s chariot over the Atlantic.”

Percy realized they were right and nodded. “Let me just make sure my mom’s got her story straight before I go, okay?”

Apollo nodded and goaded his swans to take the chariot outside, leaving the hospital as it was. No sooner had they disappeared than Percy’s mother jumped awake, catching her son off-guard. “Oh, did those doctors leave already?”

Percy looked over his shoulder uncertainly. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, they’re flying out of here in a minute or two.”

“Well, I hope they can find some way to help her because quite frankly, I’m at the end of my rope.” his mother shrugged. “Well uh, they said you’d keep in touch with them so let me know how everything goes.”

“Got it.” Percy knew his mother would have errands to run; she always did after any of Jade’s examinations, so this would be a perfect chance for Percy to slip away and board the chariot. “Well, I’ve got something to do; I’ll meet you back at home.”

“Alright, just don’t take too long.” his mother reminded.

“Okay. Love you, Mom.” Percy slipped out to the bathroom and Armored up again, turning invisible and fluttering out to the chariot where he dropped his invisibility. “All set. Let’s go.”

Apollo smiled and whipped the reins of his chariot. “Onward, to Olympus!” With that, the swans honked and roared as they flapped their wings and sent the chariot soaring toward the Mediterranean. The time was coming to continue the story of the Astral Knights.


End file.
